Moldova

Moldova took a lead role in meeting its obligations under Article 3 of the CCM when, with the assistance of NPA, it destroyed its stockpile of cluster munitions in 2010. This joint project with NPA showed other countries that challenges in the destruction of cluster munitions stockpiles can be overcome. NPA ́s self-help, low-cost solutions concept offered a number of extra advantages to this small country, notably the building of the capacity of the national army in disarmament processes, and an approach further used by various countries. The capacity and processes within the Moldovan National Army that were developed by NPA during the cluster munitions project have since been employed by the Moldovan army in other stand-alone disarmament projects.

Recognising the strength of cooperation with NPA, the Moldovan Ministry of Defense invited NPA back to Moldova in 2012 to assist with the development of an explosive risk mitigation project. As the explosion in the Republic of the Congo demonstrated in March 2012, unstable, poorly stored ammunition and explosives pose an unacceptable risk to surrounding civilian communities. Since the collapse of the Eastern Bloc, Moldova is still suffering from a legacy of surplus and old ammunition, which in its current state of storage poses a high level of risk to the surrounding population.